Close Enough to Touch
Colleen Oakley, 2017
Gallery Books
336 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781501139291
Summary
From the author of Before I Go comes an evocative, poignant, and heartrending exploration of the power and possibilities of the human hear.
Love has no boundaries...
Jubilee Jenkins has a rare condition: she’s allergic to human touch. After a nearly fatal accident, she became reclusive, living in the confines of her home for nine years.
But after her mother dies, Jubilee is forced to face the world—and the people in it—that she’s been hiding from.
Jubilee finds safe haven at her local library where she gets a job. It’s there she meets Eric Keegan, a divorced man who recently moved to town with his brilliant, troubled, adopted son. Eric is struggling to figure out how to be the dad—and man—he wants so desperately to be.
Jubilee is unlike anyone he has ever met, yet he can't understand why she keeps him at arm's length. So Eric sets out to convince Jubilee to open herself and her heart to everything life can offer, setting into motion the most unlikely love story of the year. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
Colleen Oakley is the author of three novels, You Were There Too (2020), Close Enough to Touch (2017), and Before I Go (2015).
Oakley is also the former senior editor of Marie Claire and editor in chief of Women's Health & Fitness. Her articles, essays and interviews have been featured in the New York Times, Ladies' Home Journal, Marie Claire, Women's Health, Redbook, Parade and Martha Stewart Weddings. She lives in Georgia with her husband, four kids and the world's biggest lapdog. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
If you overlay The Rosie Project onto one of Jodie Picoult’s medical crisis novels, you might end up with something like Close Enough to Touch, Colleen Oakley’s new rom-com. Her novel combines a dash of screwball for laughs, a tad of woe for pathos, and a certain predictability for comfort. You know the broad outlines of where it’s headed — but you’ll have a delightful time getting there. READ MORE …
Molly Lundquist - LitLovers
This novel is the ideal pick for book clubs or just for curling up with a rainy day read… [a] sweet story of love and life.
Romance Times Book Reviews
Heart wrenching and humorous, Oakley delivers an out-of-the-ordinary love story with steady quips and endearing characters.… [Jubilee's] journey from recluse to recovery is fascinating, aided by supportive and supporting characters.
Publishers Weekly
Long a recluse in her New Jersey home, deathly allergic Jubilee Jenkins must finally venture forth and meets troubled, new-in-town Eric. You can't go wrong—a People Best New Book Pick, a US Weekly "Must" Pick, and a Publishers Lunch Buzz Book
Library Journal
Oakley has produced an affecting work that, while avoiding maudlin sentimentality, makes the reader care about Daisy and her determination to live while dying.
Booklist
Oakley masterfully creates a high-stakes story that still feels solidly real. All of her characters are well-rounded and charming.… A romantic, sweet story about taking chances and living life fully.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. What effect does the alternating narrative between Jubilee’s and Eric’s perspectives have on your understanding of the events and characters in the book? How would the story have been different if it was just from Jubilee’s point of view?
2. Do you think Eric is a good dad to Aja? To Ellie? Why or why not? Compare and contrast his parenting style with that of Jubilee’s mother, Victoria. Consider the challenges each parent faces.
3. Why do you think Eric agreed to adopt Aja? How did that change his relationship with Stephanie? With Ellie?
4. How does Jubilee’s relationship with her mother affect her outlook on life? What would you do in her mother's shoes, having a child with a unique condition like Jubilee’s?
5. How is Jubilee affected by each of the people she interacts with as she reenters the world? How do they affect her perspective about her condition? Consider her interactions with Madison, Eric, Aja, Michael the pillow-golfer, and Louise.
6. Is Eric’s long-distance father-daughter book club experiment a success? What is so powerful about the shared reading experience? How has a book brought you closer to another family member or friend?
7. Why do you think Jubilee resists pursuing treatments or management for her condition? Why wouldn’t she want to see a doctor for an Epipen prescription?
8. Consider this quote: “People did stare at me in high school—like I was a curiosity—but I didn't think anyone ever noticed me. It’s a strange feeling, to be seen but invisible at the same time.” (p. 94) What is the difference between being seen and being noticed? Why is the difference important to Jubilee?
9. How has Jubilee’s nine-year seclusion affected her emotional maturity?
10. Discuss the importance of female friendship. How does Madison and Jubilee’s relationship affect each of the women?
11. Why is Jubilee the only adult who is able to get through to Aja? How do their shared experiences link them?
12. How does the truth about Jubilee’s condition change her relationship with Eric? With Madison?
13. Throughout the book, Jubilee starts to understand that her biggest fear isn’t actually physical touch but having emotional connections, only to be let down or disappointed by them. How does each character experience and deal with their own fears of vulnerability throughout the book?
14. Did the letter Jubilee found from her mother change your view of her? How so?
15. In the end, Jubilee asks Madison “if love is worth the risk.” How would you have answered that?
16. What was your reaction to the epilogue? Do you think Jubilee and Eric end up together for good? Why or why not?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
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